Slider Pain cries foul over German sleds

WHISTLER, B.C. — Canadian skeleton pilot Jeff Pain has a bone to pick with his German rivals.

Pain, a 39-year-old Calgarian who won the silver medal at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, says he and his Canadian teammates are at a distinct disadvantage at the Vancouver Games because he says the Germans using illegal magnetic components in their sleds.

"I know for a fact they have a magnetic component in their sleds and I do question whether that’s legal or not," Pain said Wednesday. "The way I read the rules, it’s not legal. Obviously, the FIBT (International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation) disagrees with me or they haven’t found it, but there’s a magnetic component in their sleds that does something (to improve performance) and it would be nice to have that investigated.

"I don’t know 100 per cent how they use it, but my belief is that they’re creating a magnetic component in their sleds that provides a damper, like a shock absorber," he continued. "I don’t know what it’s there for, but it’s there for a reason or they wouldn’t put it there if it wasn’t. If you read the rules it says no magnetic fields."

The Germans have been dominate all three sliding sports — bobsled, skeleton and luge.

Martins Dukars of Latvia leads the 2009-10 World Cup skeleton standings, with Germans Frank Rommel and Sandro Stielicke second and third, respectively. Pain, a 39-year-old from Calgary, is 10th. Through eight World Cup events, the German men have two wins, five second-place finishes and two third-place.

Mellisa Hollingsworth, Canada’s gold medal hope from Eckville, Alta., leads the women’s World Cup standings with two wins, two seconds and three thirds through eight races. Shelley Rudman of Britain is second, with Germans Kerstin Szymkowiak and Marion Trott in third and fourth, respectively.

Pain is not the first Canadian to question the Germans’ sleds. Earlier this season, Jon Montgomery of Russell, Man., generated headlines when he raised the question of a German technological advantage.

"I didn’t blatantly say they were cheating, but I raised the question of their technology," Montgomery, who won a World Cup event in Cesana, Italy, this season and is fifth in the overall standings, said Wednesday.

"The FIBT has stringent testing and the German sleds and runners have both passed these tests. I can’t argue that. I suspect that they are completely legal, just perhaps superior in technology. You can see them break out and skid and you don’t hear them. When we break out and skid you can hear them, whereas when we break out and skid you can hear us destroying the ice.

Montgomery also said the technical differences don’t determine who wins.

"You’ve got to have a perfect grasp of the track," he said. "The Germans are incredibly talented sliders. They’ve got great depth in their program. They’ve been on the ice since they were knee high to a grasshopper. When we were out playing hockey, these guys were out doing luge and now skeleton."

FIBT director of communications Don Krone said the matter would be investigated.

"Other allegations have been made in the past and have been checked, and there’s been no evidence of what’s been alleged," Krone said. "It’s news to me. The German sleds have been fine all year, but we’re going to look into it."

Hollingsworth wasn’t going to get dragged into the controversy.

"I don’t know," she said. "I’m not the science type. I leave all that stuff to my cousin (and fellow Albertan), Ryan Davenport, who builds my sled and I trust it. He prepares the best equipment in the world, for me. When I slide I have to believe in myself and not be concerned with anybody else.

"I’m happy with my season. I’ve been consistent which is really important to bring into the Olympic Games. With a heat race (four timed runs over two days) you have to have consistency. Being No. 1 that only builds confidence."

John Gibson, media manager at the Whistler Sliding Centre, said that neither the German sliding team nor any FIBT officials had arrived in Whistler, B.C. Calls to the FIBT had not been returned as of late Wednesday afternoon.

But Pain didn’t back down. He said he learned this season that Germans have this mysterious magnetic edge.

"I’m not sure the Germans knew that I knew it," he said when asked why he chose to speak out at the Olympics. "I just think it needs to be out there. Its’ a reality. It’s a fact. I’d like the FIBT to take a closer look.

"I don’t know (if the FIBT will investigate)," he continued. "If it was a matter of them knowing about it and going through the checks and it being fine, I’d expect them to just say there’s nothing wrong. If they were unaware I’d love for them to have second look for sure."

Sleds are checked routinely at competitions. It’s usually the first-, second- and third-place sleds and a random sled that are tested. The Germans have passed the tests all season.

"Unfortunately, there’s a lot of grey areas in the rules and those grey areas can become advantages," Pain said. "There are always different interpretations. Even when you think a rule is very clearly written there are different interpretations. That’s the FIBT’s job, to figure out where do those interpretations cross the line between legal and illegal."

Canadian coach Willi Schneider isn’t concerned that Pain has chosen to rock the boat.

"I’m fine with it. It’s his right to tell it," said Schneider. "I believe he just tried to take this opportunity to say what many people think.

"We have these rules but maybe the people are not strict enough. I wish that something will change, maybe not for this Olympics but in the future.

"But if they can show us we’re wrong then everything’s fine and we’re happy."

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